Smart controller

One of the things that has kept Quality Sprinkling Systems Services ahead of the pack has been their inclination to embrace technology. That's something the company owner, John Newlin, says he really believes in, and he is always trying to stay ahead of the game.

His efforts have included becoming completely paperless for all of their scheduling and billing. "That's really been huge and probably one of the keys to helping us stay in business and profitable, even in a bad economy," Newlin says. "The efficiency we've been able to achieve as a result of our software has been critical. It's something I really believe in. And as a company we do a good job of adapting to the latest technology."

Technology is often an area where companies struggle. In shifting to a paperless environment, Newlin says it first requires getting over the psychological aspect and being able to let go of paper. "It's definitely a comfort level," he says. "But I've gotten employees to bite off on it and they were far from tech savvy. It can certainly be learned. Like anything else, there's a learning curve, but it's not that bad. Actually, the learning curve is the biggest for the owner because the implementation has to be from the top down. The owner needs to learn it first."

And it's not just the office where the latest technology is being employed at Quality Services. "Our service techs use mini laptops out in the field," Newlin says. "And all service trucks have GPS to help our office manager know where they are. This helps to answer customers' questions, such as when they'll be arriving, without having to call our service techs."

Newlin says that their use of technology has certainly set the company apart in a crowded market in the suburbs of Cleveland. "I definitely feel it helps differentiate us," he says. "People are scared of technology, and there are many who aren't using it. But it's the future of the industry. These kinds of tools are needed in order to run properties as efficiently as possible."

He only sees his company continuing to evolve. In fact, Newlin says that what he believes is a big part of the future of his business is already underway – applying GPS technology to new and existing irrigation systems. This is something relatively new for the company and Newlin says he is working on selling it as a service to both his existing and new customers. "So far I've been able to sell this service pretty easily," he says. "In the past year, it's really started to take off and we're now looking at a handheld unit where I can go into the field and locate the valve box heads and main lines and all of that will be uploaded to our software. When the service techs then go into the field, they already have the information in front of them."

Also part of the future is rainwater harvesting and the use of rain barrels. Newlin says that his customers have caught wind of the eco-friendly push to use rain barrels as collection agents, but they don't know what to do from there.

"We've put together a drip system that takes water from the rain barrel and can be used in small planting areas," he says. "We're also looking at utilizing storm water from parking lots and irrigating commercial properties with that water. That could be a significant savings."

The concept continues to gain ground, and Newlin says the savings are probably the biggest incentive.

"When you can show clients a cost-effective way to irrigate, you've got their attention," he says. "We've been involved with rainwater harvesting for about two years and the IA has been a big help with that."

Newlin says that although a lot of these technologies and advances are new and might not seem that vital now, he believes they're the way of the future. That makes it important for other contractors to start embracing what's ahead – something Newlin says he hopes to assist contractors with as chair of the Irrigation Association's Contractor Common Interest Group.

"There's no question that many contractors are leery of technology, but one of the things I want to do through the IA is help them get to a certain degree of comfort with it," says Newlin. "Change can be hard, so we're trying to help."

The author is a frequent contributor to Lawn & Landscape.